Mapping The World
by Wings Of Sanguine
Summary: Hiccup is trying his best to settle in as the new chief as well as repair a broken relationship with his mother. A letter from a King and Queen brings Hiccup to Far Far Away in hopes of uniting both empires. While there, an old enemy strikes, leaving Hiccup to try and defend both lands from harm and show that dragons aren't that bad (DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD/HTTYD 2 OR SHREK)
1. Chapter 1

"Alright, buddy," Hiccup patted his dragon, Toothless, gently, "remember, when we go there, we need to be polite!" The dragon- a black Night Fury- purred, nuzzling its nose into the viking chief's chest. Laughing, Hiccup swayed a bit, Toothless nudging him to regain his balance.

It was still hard to get used to a peg leg after five years.

"Thanks, buddy," Hiccup said, kneeling to the ground, pulling out a small brown leather notebook with yellowed pages. After flying outside of Berk territory for so long, Hiccup had finally managed to put together what could be considered a map. Off to the left was a few archipelagos, to the right were a few pieces of mainland that, in all honesty, he felt a little lazy in going to explore. Hiccup knew he should probably go some other time, but with everything that had happened over the past few days….

He was still trying to wrap his head around it.

"Well, there's Itchy Armpit!" Hiccup pointed out the island to Toothless, who cocked his head to the side, long tongue lolling out of his mouth. They had found the island together while exploring, instead of taking part in Berk's annual games- sheep herding was what it really was, but with Vikings, anything could happen. The wind blew in forceful gusts, playing with his brown hair, some of which Astrid had put in tiny braids at the nape of his neck. Hiccup could hear the sound of flapping in the distance, and he turned around, green eyes gazing up at the bright blue sky to see his girlfriend, swooping down to join him.

"And where have you been?!" she demanded, hopping off the back of her own dragon, Stormfly. Toothless greeted the Deadly Nadder with a playful pounce, and Astrid plopped herself down next to Hiccup, eyeing the map he and strewn out in front of him. "Going over your maps again?"

"I just want to make sure I got everything correct," Hiccup said.

"Oh, I'm sure it's fine," Astrid blew a raspberry, "besides, your mom can fix it for you if it is messed up, right?" Hiccup felt himself stiffen at the question. It was an innocent question, and since it was coming from Astrid, it really shouldn't have been a problem. Of course, the circumstances in which he met his mother were not the greatest.

Hiccup pushed the thought away. Valka was a great mother, and he and to give her props for trying to repair whatever relationship they had, right? Turning to Astrid, he rolled his eyes at her.

"I may as well just have her recreate the entire map at this point, huh?" he joked, and Astrid grinned, her blue eyes darting towards Stormfly and Toothless. The dragons had taken to drawing in the dirt, using broken tree logs as pencils. Their heads were bent at awkward angles as they moved, shot jerky movements moving them along in their task. Astrid looked at the map. Some of the lines had faded, and with the way Hiccup was holding the pencil in his hand, he was bound to smudge some of the lines he was trying to recreate.

"Yeah, just give up on this one, okay?" She patted his chest, leaning her head against his shoulder. Hiccup moved so his arm was around her, his hands delicately stroking her blond hair, poking between the twisted strands of her braid. The wind whistled as the two stared out at the ocean in front of them, small dots of island on the horizon.

"So what exactly did you come fetch me for?" Hiccup said. Astrid shrugged.

"Your mom said there was a letter-"

"Letter?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah," she said, then with a laugh, "but then Snotlout said he was going to eat it because Vikings shouldn't know how to read." Hiccup felt his face turning red, Astrid's smile growing wider. "Babe, are you okay?"

"Wha…?! Snotlut of course would s-say something like that….! But really?!" Hiccup blurted, Astrid groaning at his utter surprise. Hiccup then grabbed Astrid's hand, pulling himself up into standing position. Astrid followed suit, swinging their arms as they approached their dragons. The creatures had stopped drawing, and now were lying with their bellies exposed to the sun.

"So what did my mother say was in this letter?" Hiccup asked as he got Toothless to sit properly, launching himself onto the dragon's back. Astrid climbed up on Stormfly, and soon the two riders were flying bak to Berk, huts and dragons to be seen on the ground below as they approached. Large walls and chances of opaque cerulean colored ice dotted the island, and Hiccup only grimace at the reminder of what it was, and he felt his stomach and heart drop.

"She didn't say," Astrid said, signaling for them to land, "only that you should read it, being Chief of Berk and all." Hiccup nodded- it sounded like something his mother would say.

"Leave it to mother to be all mysterious," he muttered as they land by on elf the many docs on Berk, some members of the clan waving, others trying to chase after sheep. Dragons of every shape and size could be seen- some were babies, nibbling at their owners, others were adults, napping lazily against the side of a hut as their owner took out old meat from their house.

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup turned to see his mother running over, hand raised as she waved frantically. She was panting as she slowed to a stop, and Hiccup took the time to notice the white strands amongst the brown in her hair, which was tied in a long braid that hung down her back. She wore a mustard yellow shirt with a drawstring detail at the neck, with a red shawl tied around the waist of brown, close-fitted pants. Cloud Jumper, her dragon, was nowhere to be seen, presumably off for a nap in one of the many dragon pens on the island.

"Hiccup, a letter came for you today," Valka said, shoving her fist at her son. Carefully unhitching her fingers, Hiccup took the paper from her, pulling git taut in his hands. The paper itself was thin and yellowed, and he could see slightly through the layers.

"Well?" Astrid peered at it from over his shoulder, "What's it say?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow at her, sighing as he scanned the page. The writing was in fancy curlicues, written in what looked like purple or black ink.

"To Whom It May Concern," Hiccup read aloud, Valka and Astrid leaning in close to get a better look. Valka ruffled her son's hair, smiling wide.

"That's you, son!" she said cheerfully.

"…The King and Queen of Far Far Away-" Hiccup went on.

"Far Far Away?" Astrid nearly choked on her own laughter, "What kind of name is that for a kingdom?"

"Aye," Valka agreed, "a funny one at that!" Hiccup mimicked his girlfriend and mother as they joked before continuing.

"- would like you to join them in uniting kingdoms. The King and Queen await your response," Hiccup read, "signed, King Harold and Queen Lillian.'" As soon as Hiccup finished reading, the three of them stood insolence, pondering the message. By now, a few citizens of the viking clan had stopped what they were doing to watch their new chief in whatever it was he was doing, considering he had missed that morning's dragon race. Stormfly and Toothless had wandered off to play with the other dragons, leaving large prints in the dirt.

"You should start packing, young man," Valka pinched Hiccup's cheek, "and write them a reply!" Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"You sound just like dad!" Hiccup groaned, shaking his shoulders in imitation of his late father, "I know, Mom!"

Hiccup knew he meant it as a joke, but once he looked up at his mother again, he saw he had touched a nerve. Pursing her lips, Valka nodded, crossing her arms.

"So it seems," she said politely, "just get started on that letter, aye?" Hiccup opened his moth to say something, apologize, but Valka had already begun to walk away, head hung low as she avoided eye contact with other villagers.

"You want me to talk to her?" Astrid offered. Hiccup shook his head. The two of them were never going to have the perfect relationship, he knew- but why was he such an idiot to bring up his father?

"Let her be for now," Hiccup sighed, sitting himself down in the grass by the dock, "I should write a reply." Astrid nodded, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before running after Valka as Hiccup managed to begin writing in what looked like chicken scratch.


	2. Chapter 2

Vikings, it seemed, were not known for their handwriting.

Queen Lillian squinted at the letter she held in her hands, the paper surprisingly thick and sturdy compared to what stationary she head here in the castle. The ink looked to be of better quality a well, although the handwriting itself was in poor condition. Loops had a tendency to get lost in the sentence below it, and many of the letters she mistook for others- for example, an 'r' looked like 'n' and os on and so forth.

"Oh, this is so troublesome!" Lillian cursed under her breath, "Harold! Harold, can you help me with this?"

There was a moment of silence before Lillian realized.

Harold was gone. Ever since the… incident with Prince Charming, to put it kindly, it had been quite lonely without her husband. Of course, it would have been a bit difficult to accommodate him since eh was turned into a frog, but Lillian still missed him. Sighing, she pushed the thought of her deceased husband away, trying gear best to focus on the letter sent back from the Village of Berk.

Whomever the chief was, his or her handwriting was simply atrocious. Clearing her throat, Lillian poked her head out the door of her bedroom, cupping her mouth with her hand.

"Fiona!" she called, her voice echoing down the long corridor, "Fiona, can you come help me with this?" Footsteps echoed and soon her daughter rounded the corner, Donkey in tow, clopping lazily behind her.

"What is it, Mom?" she asked, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. Lillian ushered both of them into the room, fixing any creases on the paper. Donkey grinned, looking around the room.

"Wow, Miss Lillian, you sure do live fun and fancy free!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Thank you, Donkey, but right now I need help," Lillian said. Fiona shrugged, going to open one of the large windows, light streaming into the room. Smoothing the skirt of her green dress, the princess join her mother by the vanity table.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, and Lillian showed her the letter.

"I received a reply from the Viking Chief, but I can't read his handwriting," Lillian explained. Fiona too the page in her thick green fingers, squinting at the writing. It was messy- possibly worse than Shrek's, but that was pushing it. She shook her head.

"Sorry, I can't read it either," she apologized, "All I could make out was a name, though."

"Of the chief?" Lillian hoped. Fiona nodded.

"Somewhere it said Stoick The Vast," Fiona said, "that's probably his name. It mentioned another one as well- Astrid Hofferson, i think." Lillian nodded. With the way those two names sounded, they seemed like powerful people. Of course, she'd have to see them for herself in order to judge whether it was true.

"So The chief and his wife are coming then?" Lillian asked, "Wonderful! I guess we'll have to get preparations set up and the like…" There was a pause before the queen gasped, "Fiona dear, tell Shrek to get up, it's almost noon!" Fiona nodded, leaving Donkey to keep her mother company.

"Of course mother," she said, exiting the room. Clicing th door shut, she made her way down the hall, running her hand along the wall. The wood was rough on her fingers, and she felt a scratch as she came ran her nail along the molding of a door- the door to her and Shrek's room, to be precise. The wood creaked as she pushed it open to find Shrek already dressed, fingers digging deep into his trumpet like ear.

"Oh! You're up!" she said.

"Well, Donkey and Puss were jabbering' away all night," Shrek complained, "and then your mother said something about visitors….?" Fiona nodded.

"Vikings," she confirmed, and Shrek rolled his eyes.

"You know, why does she insist on uniting kingdoms?" Shrek asked, following her into the halls. It was quiet for the morning, nothing but the sounds of their footsteps and birds chirping outside to be heard.

"It's to keep peace, remember?" Fiona explained, "Besides, we received a reply from them today-"

"Already?!" Shrek said with astonishment, "Didn't you send the letter yesterday?!"

"Well, I guess word gets around fast in Berk," Fiona said, and Shrek scrunched his nose. Berk sounded like a funny name for a kingdom- better yet, like something Donkey might try if he was left to cook dinner.

Last time he checked, donkeys weren't capable of cooking anything, but he pushed the thought away, instead focusing on his wife. He still had a lot to get used to, being a prince. Especially since was an ogre.

"So when are they coming?" Shrek asked, jogging to catch up with Fiona as they made their way through the main hall and outside into the courtyard.

"We couldn't make it out," Fiona said, "this Stoick guy has terrible handwriting."

"With a name like Stoick I guess it's bound to be terrible, eh?" Shrek joked. Fiona shook her head at him, glancing down at the paper once more.

She really hoped Vikings were peaceful, because if they saw two ogres running a kingdom…. well, she wasn't sure what would happen. Fiona could only hope for the best and wait until their arrival.


	3. Chapter 3

"Artie!" Shrek called, "Artie!" The courtyard was deadly quiet, save for birds trilling in the trees. Various servants were preparing the castle, a few of them at the pier waiting to be able to harbor a Viking ship. Shrek shook his head- of all the times the kid was needed, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Here!" came a shout, "here I am! Sorry! I, uh….well, I was a bit distracted, but-" Shrek crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at a tall teenage boy, a mo of blond hair on his head. With the shape of his face and the way his hair was cut, it reminded him chillingly of Prince Charming, but thankfully Artie was anything but.

"Distracted by princesses, are we now?" Shrek teased, and Artie blushed, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"And? Snow White? She's pretty hot!" the young king admitted sheepishly. Shrek nodded, beckoning him to follow to the pier, where everyone was waiting. Some days, he was never going to understand just how powerful the teenage hormone could be. Shadows stretched across the cobblestones as they made their way down, until they turned into one giant blob.

"So, what's this Viking deal?" Artie asked, kicking up a cloud of dust at his feet. Shrek shrugged.

"Fiona said it was to keep peace and unite kingdoms," Shrek said nonchalantly. Immediately, Artie's eyes widened and he froze, the sweaty sheen taking place on his palms, dripping between his fingers.

"Uniting kingdoms?" he cried, "But I'm not even a king!"

"And this is good training!" Shrek encouraged, "Besides, you can't go chasing after princesses all day when you _do_ take over." Artie swallowed- this "king" stuff was pretty serious.

Then again, it's always difficult to swallow the fact that you're destined to take over after your uncle drops you at some high school and leaves without so much as a goodbye. Artie winced at the memory. Now that he was to become king, he'd like to forget all the awful times he'd gotten shoved in a locker or used as target practice by Lancelot and is jock buddies.

"So, what do I do?" Artie asked, catching up with the ogre, who had made his way to the dock, waiting with his wife at the stairs that led down to the beach. Water lapped the wooden dock, high tide rolling in. Fiona hefted a green glass bottle in her hand, giving it to the king in training.

"All you have to do is hit the boat with the bottle, then come festivities and peace arrangements," she explained. Artie took the bottle, staring at it as if he had seen a ghost.

"Hit the boat with a bottle?" he asked, "Any idiot can hit a boat with a bottle!" Shrek's ears flattened slightly as he scratched his head, laughing nervously.

"It's harder than it looks…." he commented. A shadow passed overhead, making the group jump, shielding their eyes as they gazed up at the sky. It was simply a bird- _A rather large one at that_, Shrek thought- flying above, passing through the whistling wind.

"That was a fairly large bird, don't you think dear?" Lillian piped up, clasping her hands as she joined her daughter, gazing out over the ocean. Fiona laughed, sweeping her red bangs out of her face.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" she laughed.

"I'm just saying!" Lillian said, adding, "but it's true- it was big!" She opened her mouth to say more, but instead of words, she emitted a great roar, a trembling in the sky that could have shaken the heavens themselves.

"Better out than in, right?" Shrek laughed, and Artie hid a chuckle as the older woman turned red in the face.

"That wasn't me!" she protested, a smile playing on her lips.

"Okay, sure," Fiona drawled.

Then it came again.

A deafening tone, somewhere between the howl of a beast and the bloodcurdling screech of a banshee. Clapping their hands over their ears, the royals tried to drown out the sound, but to no avail. It broke through their finger barriers to bombard their eardrums.

Then there was the flash of bluish-purple light.

"Watch out!" Artie yelled, and everyone dove to the ground, nimbly avoiding getting struck.

"What was that?" Artie asked a few seconds later, cautiously propping himself cup on his elbows. Where they had been standing a few seconds ago was scorched terrain, black marks tracking the ground as smoke rose from the cobbled surface.

"Is it Dragon?" Fiona asked, "Donkey said she was coming by later-"

"No, they cancelled that plan, remember? Donkey said she wasn't feeling well- whatever that means for a dragon." Fiona groaned. Lillian was sitting upright, brushing dust and dirt off her clothes and hair. Artie lifted hi head, squinting at the sky. A small gasp escaped his lips.

A large bird flew overhead, circling the sky like a vulture.

"Didn't we just see that thing?" Artie pointed to it.

"Funny, we did," Lilian confirmed, using her hand like a visor from the harshness of the sun. They watched as the creature flew, getting bigger and bigger as it got lower to the ground. Gusts of wind blew every which way, and they could just barely make out voices- if that were even possible.

"Watch where you land Toothless!" was what a girl yelled.

_Who's Toothless?_ Artie thought as they got closer, although he was still unable to make out what was happening due to the sun beaming down, momentarily blinding him.

"Astrid, I think I know how to land a dragon!" yelled a voice back.

"Are you kidding?! You almost turned the Queen into Yaknog!" retorted the girl- Astrid, as she was apparently called.

"Alright! Alright!" Shrek suddenly yelled, and the yelling stopped. The wind had died down and they found two young adults staring at them wide-eyed, sitting on the backs of what looked like….

"Dragons!" Artie yelled in excitement, then with confusion, "Wait- where's your boat?!"

"Um, we don't have one…" one of them- a young man- answered cautiously, his voice having a slightly whiny tinge, as if he hadn't quite fulfilled reaching puberty yet. "And who might you be?" Artie froze, sharing a glance with Shrek before clearing his throat, throwing out his chest as much as he could.

"King Arthur… o-of Far Far A-Away," he stuttered, "State your name and business, peasant!" The two visitors exchanged confused glances, Shrek slapping a hand to his forehead.

And they laughed.

The two of them, sitting on the backs of dragons, broke into peals of laughter, the boy's shoulders shaking, the girl clutching her chest as she threw her head back. Artie took a step back, raising an eyebrow at them.

"What's so funny?" he asked, "I gave you an order!"

"Arthur, sweetheart, it doesn't work like that," Lillian hissed through clenched teeth, forcing a smile.

"Now you tell me?!" he exclaimed, wringing his hands in agony. This made the visitors laugh harder, a loud thud sounding as the boy fell off his animal. The dragon itself looked fairly curious, jumping with delight as he played with his owner, rolling on the ground.

"I have never seen a dragon do that," Fiona whispered to Shrek, who could only stare.

"Oh, th-this is too much!" the girl wiped at fresh tears that formed in her eyes, "geez! I-it really is!" She kept laughing, her face having become tomato red. She turned to the boy, "Whaddya say, babe?"

The boy was still on the floor, having petered himself free of laughing. The dragon was now standing over him, nudging its nose at his cheek as he let out the last of his chuckles. Finally, he pushed himself up, and Shrek and Fiona watched as he played with a few straps and buttons on his clothes, gears and screws cranking and winding back into place.

"So sorry, Your Majesty," he bowed his head, the expression on his face becoming instant business, "Where may we find King Arthur and Queen Lillian?"

Artie gaped at them in disbelief, "I just told you! That's me!" Lillian placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him, holding herself in what was hopefully a regal manner.

"I'm Queen Lillian, training Arthur here for the day he takes the throne," she explained. The girl looked at him with a tad of shock on her face, but quickly wiped it away. Judging by the look on the boy's face, as well as the Queen's, they were serious. The boy looked at her, then back at Artie.

"You can't be serious!"

"As serious as ever, laddie," Shrek cut in, crossing his arms as he loomed over the boy, raising an eyebrow in disdain. The boy stared back, confusion etched into his features.

"And what are you supposed to be, a Zippleback?" he asked. Shrek was taken aback, unsure of what exactly a Zippleback was.

"Listen here you!" Shrek grabbed him but the collar, hoisting him off the ground. The dragon suddenly hissed, showing off toothless gums in its mouth. The girl jumped off her dragon, running over to Queen Lillian.

"I don't think you should do that!" she said with worry.

"Just let me teach him a little lesson, okay?" Shrek said with obvious annoyance. The boy dangled like a rag doll in Shrek's grip, dirty nails clawing at his hands to let go.

"This is very undignified…!" he protested, "Can't we talk this over…?!" Shaking her blond bangs out of her face, the girl fingered the fur that lined the hood of her clothes, eyeing them nervously. They could see the boy was very gangly- not as thin as Artie though- with leather straps and all sorts of ranks and gears stitched into his clothes. Armored shoulder pads bunched up as the boy's shoulders were raised from trying to pry the ogre off him.

The girl grabbed Queen Lillian by the shoulders, gripping the cloth tightly. Lillian gasped in surprise, trying to yank herself away.

"Unhand me now!" she ordered, but the girl kept her grip.

"Mom!" Fiona called, taking a sep forward, only to be held at bay by the black dragon. It's back was arched, green eyes having turned to slits like a cat. Fiona faltered, watching as the girl practically man-handled her mother.

"Tell your bodyguard there to unhand my boyfriend!" she demanded, lips curling into a sneer. Artie looked between the two- Shrek holding the boy, and the girl holding Queen Lillian. As a king in training, he knew he was supposed to be able to try and handle situations like this, but at this point, what could he do? _Besides_, he thought, _these guys look pretty strong! _At least, the girl did. The boy look like a string bean.

"Tell your animal to get away from my daughter," Queen Lilian shot back. The girl opened her mouth to say something, instead sighing as she peered over her shoulder at the two men.

"Hiccup- tell Toothless to back down!" she yelled, and her companion groaned.

"Tell this idiot to put me down first!" Hiccup retorted, shaking his head to get his brown hair out of his face. His hands were getting sweaty, Shrek's grip getting tighter as each second passed.

"Tell him to drop him."

Lillian sighed, "Shrek, let him go."

"Bu-" Shrek began, then stopped. He knew better than to argue with the Queen. Reluctantly, he slowly loosened his grip, until he finally let the kid go. He crashed hard to the ground, and Artie thought he could hear some sort of pop as he went.

The girl ran to him, slipping a protective arm over his shoulder as she helped him up, eyeing Shrek angrily. The dragon looked between them, confusion flashing in its eyes before it realized the scuffle was over. Having done its duty, ti trotted over to the girl's dragon and nuzzled itself against it's wing, purring like a cat. Artie leaned close to Queen Lillian, whispering out the side of his mouth.

"I have never seen a dragon do that."

"Nor have I," the Queen replied, clearing her throat as she then addressed the visitors, "I wish you to reveal your names and business, seeing as we probably don't want another incident, now do we?" The girl was now standing, cautiously watching as the boy let go of her hand, using her shoulder as balance.

"Astrid Hofferson, Your Majesty," the girl introduced herself, if somewhat hostile. Obviously, the royals hadn't made a god first impression. Shrek ambled back to his wife, standing close by as he eyed the dragon suspiciously. Dragon didn't act anything like these dragons at all.

"Well, Astrid," Lillian said, "Care to explain why you decided to land your dragons in my harbor?"

"We're here to see the King and Queen, we told you!" Astrid said, her face going from angry to curious in seconds a she turned to the boy, "Hiccup, can you stand?" All eyes were now on him as he slid his hand down her arm, trig his best to balance himself out.

"I-I think I got i-No! No I don't" he yelped as he let go, immediately falling over. Astrid rushed to catch him, slinging his arm over her shoulder to get him upright.

"What's wrong?" Fiona asked, furrowing her brow as the two struggled. The dragons, it seemed, knew what to do- one second they were playing in the dirt, the next squeezing themselves on either side of him, Astrid helping him sit upright on the black dragon's back- _Toothless_, Fiona recalled the name.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Astrid echoed, brushing Hiccup's hair out of his eyes.

"My leg, I think," Hiccup said, adding quickly, "It's nothing though, don't worry-"

"Last I checked I wasn't holding him by the legs," Shrek pointed out. Fiona jabbed him in the stomach. Shrek winced, "What was that for?!" Astrid was patting Hiccup down furiously, looking for any signs of injury, much to Hiccup's displeasure.

"Listen, I know we're dating, but is this really necessary-?"

"Hiccup, if you're leg hurts then who knows what else you sustained?" Astrid cut him off bluntly, "Besides, you still need to fix the hole in Toothless' tail anyway, so your aerodynamics might have been a contributing factor before we landed." Hiccup groaned, leaning back until he was lying across Toothless' spine. as he let Astrid finish her search.

"Oh, no…." she trailed off, sneaking a glance at him. They watched as Hiccup lolled his head to the side.

"What? Is something wrong?" Lillian inquired, approaching the dragon riders carefully. Toothless and the blue dragon hissed, Hiccup nearly falling off him as he raised himself up on his haunches. Astrid quickly scratched their scales.

"Toothless! Stormfly!" she commanded, "Down!" Astrid carefully lowered Hiccup as Toothless went back to standing on all fours, Stormfly snorting gray rings of smoke out of her mouth.

"Ow." Hiccup deadpanned. Astrid scowled.

"Don't be a baby," she lovingly chastised him, then turned her attention to Queen Lillian, "Its his leg."

"May i have a look?" the queen asked, reaching out to her. Astrid gestured for her to go ahead, and she cautiously peered at Hiccup's limb- his left one, to be precise, face falling at what she saw.

"It's a prosthetic," she announced. Artie and Shrek wined, Fiona glaring at them.

"Worse, the mechanism used to hold it in place is bent funny," Astrid poked at the hooks that attached Hiccup's fake leg, "So now we have to fix that."

"It broke again!?" Hiccup cried with bewilderment, "But I just fixed it!" The two blond women inspected it. tow pieces were bent far to the right and into the hole where the piece was supposed to go. One was bent slightly to the left, while the last was barely hanging on, clinging for dear life to the leather straps desperately trying to hold it in place.

"We can fix it for you, I'm sure," Lillian assured him, glancing at her family. They were just standing there, unsure of what they should do. Then it dawned on them.

"Of course! We'll start looking now!" Fiona quipped, looping her arm with Shrek's, "Come on, honey- how about a treasure hunt? You too Artie!" Artie and Shrek groaned.

"I'm not five," Artie grumbled, grudgingly dragging his feet as he went to help them search for Hiccup's missing parts.

"It looks like a sort of hook!" Astrid called after them.

"They'll find it," Lillian repeated, "for now, shall we get you…. four, inside?" Astrid nodded, whistling for the dragons to follow. They scampered ahead, Hiccup falling off Toothless's back with a sharp cry, and Astrid pulled him up, slinging his arm aver her shoulder for support. Lillian smiled softly as she watched them share a kiss as they walked, Astrid leaning her head on his bony looking shoulder.

_They certainly look cute_, she thought as she caught up with them, clearing her throat.

"So, what business do you have with us in Far Far Away, if you don't mind me asking?" she said.

"My mother-" Hiccup began, raising his head in a dignified manner.

"His mother told him to come," Astrid said, Hiccup rolling his eyes at her blatancy.

"Well, mothers know best," Lillian teased. The vikings shrugged.

"Well Valka- that's her name-" Astrid explained, "-was supposed to come, but there were some, uh, complications, let's say." They had made their way up the beach and into the courtyard, Toothless and Stormfly sending Lillian's servants into various states of almost catatonic shock. They sniffed at clothes and drooled on food, nudging and playing with the butlers and chefs.

"They seem friendly," Lillian pointed out as Toothless nuzzled one of the butler's legs with his nose, purring softly.

"That's what we're doing here," Hiccup said, "we want to try to get people to see that dragons aren't as bad as you think- I trained Toothless myself, when I was little."

"Babe, now's not the time to brag about how you were almost eaten by a dragon," Astrid laughed.

"I'd love to hear about it over dinner," Lillian said, "would you care to join us?" She watched as the vikings exchanged tentative looks before shrugging simultaneously. It was quite amusing to watch, if the queen were being honest.

"Ready for another adventure?" Hiccup asked Astrid, who beamed, rolling her eyes.

"Only if the monsters in battle are forks and knives, I'm game." she said, and Lillian lead them into the castle through two large oaken double doors, the dragons following playfully, trailing smoke out of their nostrils as they followed their owners inside.


End file.
